ONE IN FIVE PARENTS BACK CANNABIS USE

CANBERRA - ALMOST one in five parents approves of their children
experimenting with cannabis, according to a review of the Federal
Government's $25 million anti-drugs campaign last year.

The review also found that adults without school-age children were more
prepared to condone youth cannabis use, provided it did not prompt
experimentation with harder drugs. It also suggested that parents tended to
overestimate the accessibility of illicit drugs to school-age children but
underestimate their willingness to try them if available.

A national survey of 604 children aged between 15 and 17 in May and June
last year showed 39 per cent had been offered cannabis and 15 per cent
offered ecstasy in the past year.

A minority were tempted with amphetamine (10 per cent) and LSD (9 per cent).

In comparison, parents believed illicit drugs were much more widely available.

They estimated 60 per cent of children aged between 12 and 17 would have
been offered cannabis and 32 per cent offered so-called designer drugs
amphetamine or ecstasy.

But they believed only 10 per cent would accept offers of cannabis and 2
per cent offers of amphetamine or ecstasy. In fact, children were
significantly more open to drug experimentation

Asked if they would accept drugs offered by friends, 20 per cent said they
would say yes to cannabis and 10 per cent were prepared to sample
amphetamine or ecstasy.

None would accept an offer of heroin.

The Federal Health and Ageing Department report was commissioned to assess
the effectiveness of the Federal Government's pre-election advertising
blitz, stressing the primary role parents can play in dissuading their
children from taking drugs.

It included three graphic television advertisements, one of which showed an
overdose victim in a body bag, and a parent information booklet delivered
to all Australian homes.

At the time, Prime Minister John Howard said parents had potentially the
strongest influence over their children's lives.

He made no apology for the advertisements, saying he believed confronting
images were appropriate when addressing a life-and-death issue.

Although the report found the campaign had been successful, it revealed
slightly less than half (48 per cent) of parents who noticed the campaign
were spurred into action.

Of those who did act, however, 77 per cent spoke to their children about drugs.

"Parents felt that the campaign made it easier for them to talk to their
child about drugs by acting as a trigger for conversation and that these
conversations with their children have been effective, resulting in less
use of illegal drugs," the survey found.

About half of teenagers said they found it easier to raise drug use with
their parents.